The Pure Joy Of Living

"When you are authentic,

you proceed from the

deepest place of empowerment

within you, and your words and actions

bear the most effective results.

When you do not act authentically,

you are not effective

because you are moving from

a place of fear or emptiness.

A DEEP BREATH OF LIFE

Alan Cohen

We enter this world unblemished, bringing a gift that no one else bears.  Our culture does not always celebrate our uniqueness, but rather grooms us for sameness.  The innocence of childhood empowers us, but in time it is worn away and replaced with a need to become like others.  This need creates a void that can be easily filled with fear and doubt.

The word power means to have control over, but it also refers to the personal power over the self.  If we are fortunate enough to be raised with loving and supportive peers, we will be proud of who we are maintaining our personal sense of self or power.  If we have grown up without personal recognition, however, our need to control or have external power increases. We then grow away from our inner core, taking on an incongruent identity. 

When we project a false image of our self, we attract relationships that are not in alignment with who we really are on the inside.  Acting out of fear or emptiness, we are not operating from a position of strength. 

Learning who we are or who we are meant to be can become a life time journey.  As we travel roads out into the world, we must also travel the paths leading within to remain connected to wholeness.

By being in touch with our inner desires and dreams,  people are not as apt to have control over us.  The need for approval is met through our own efforts and is not dependent upon outside gratification.

The pure joy of living is created by the enjoyment of who we truly are and through appreciation for the original work we bring into the world.  Acceptance and praise received from others is important, but if we do not first validate our self, we do not readily believe in the affirmations of others.